Par-baked and blind-baked pie crust sounds intimidating, but is much easier than it sounds! Here’s all you need to know about Par Bake and Blind Baking pie crusts. How and when to use this technique and what kitchen tools you will need.

What Is The Difference Between Par Bake And Blind Bake?

Blind-baking and par-baking involve cooking the pie crust by itself. The difference between the two techniques is baking time (I said it was easy). Par-baked is short for partially baked. The pie crust is cooked by itself with a shortened baking time to partially cook it. Blind-baked usually refers to a crust that is fully cooked by itself.

TIP: Some chefs do not distinguish between these two terms and only use blind-bake in their instructions. They assume you would know by the recipe if the crust should be par-baked or blind-baked.

When should I Par-Bake A Pie Crust?

Par-baked crusts are used for pies with long cooking times like apple, quiche, or pumpkin pies. In these recipe examples, the pie filling is added after par-baking the crust and then the pie is baked. This extra step ensures that the pie crust is fully cooked and can support the pie filling.

When Should I Blind-Bake A Pie Crust?

Recipes that call for a blind-baked pie crust are for pies with fillings that are not cooked in their crust. Chocolate Pudding, Lemon Meringue or Fresh Strawberry pies are recipes where the filling is added to a fully cooked(blind-baked) crust and left to set in a refrigerator.

What Kitchen Tools Do I Need To Blind Bake?

Pie Plate: Use a ceramic, shiny metal, or Pyrex pie plate. These plates ensure an evenly cooked pie crust.

Rolling Pin: This is a personal preference. They come in all shapes and sizes. As you learn to bake, you will find which one works best for you. Here is a list of the most common rolling pins.

• French Baton rolling pins are made of wood and are longer with tapered edges
• American rolling pin : Made of wood and has a center dowel that rotates the handles.
• Mexican rolling pin, called a Palote. It is a thick wooden cylinder with the same thickness throughout and have rounded edges.
• Classic rolling pin looks like the American rolling pin but the handles are stationary.

Pie weights are a necessity for blind baking because it helps the crust keep its shape. As the crust cooks it starts to shrink down the sides of the pie plate and create large, uneven bubbles across the bottom. To prevent this, dock the bottom of the pie crust and line the pie dough with crumbled parchment paper and add pie weights before cooking. Some bakers use uncooked beans, sugar or grains instead of pie weights.

TIP: Docking is used for dough crust. If you are making a graham cracker or cookie dough crust, you can skip this step.

What is Docking Dough And How Do I Dock Pie Dough?

Baking has several simple rules that are important but often skipped. Docking your dough is one of them. Dock your pie crust before baking to prevent the bottom of the pie crust from puffing up. After rolling your dough and molding it to your pie plate, take a fork and randomly press the fork tines into the dough throughout the bottom. It helps release the steam and prevents an uneven bubbled bottom.